Microsoft Virtualization Secrets

Using Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V)

Windows Virtual PC and the packaged XP Mode provide a good solution when applications that only run on Windows XP must remain available in a Windows 7 environment. The challenge is that there is no easy way to manage the virtual machines in an enterprise environment, and no easy way to ensure that all the users of a machine get the shortcuts from the virtual machines. Additionally, for scenarios in which certain websites must open in Internet Explorer 6, users are responsible for launching IE6 from the XP VM.

MDOP is only available for desktops that are covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or Windows Intune, as an additional option.

Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) provides an enterprise solution for legacy application compatibility—in a nutshell, an XP Mode with manageability. MED-V is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP), so using MED-V requires the desktop to have the MDOP subscription.

Implementing MED-V

MED-V, like Windows XP Mode, uses Windows Virtual PC to run virtual machines; however, MED-V also installs a MED-V agent on both the host and the guest desktops to provide additional capabilities. MED-V provides very granular control over the shortcuts added to the Start menu and allows configuration of specific URLs that should always be redirected to the Internet Explorer running inside the MED-V virtual machine.

MED-V is currently at version 2, which is very different from ...